Campers' Group Bulletin - Fall 2018

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. - Stanley Horowitz

September 29-October 8, Camping Trip, Grand Canyon Village, Grand Canyon AZJoin us for day hiking, any time during our stay at the south rim, Saturday September 29th to Sunday October 7th. Six of us are backpacking rim-to rim, but we are also inviting other experienced hikers to join us on day hikes, or hike on their own during the week, through Saturday. More details for the day hike group will be made available soon. Depending on the number of day hikers attending, all are invited to camp with us at our sites at Mather Campground on the south rim for the entire trip.

*** Before RSVPing, please keep in mind that early October average daytime temps on the south rim will be in the comfortable upper 60s to low 70s, but overnight temps may drop into the upper 30s. Plan accordingly with warm sleeping bags and blankets, and long sleeve shirts and lined pants. ***

Flight arrangements are the sole responsibility of the individual attending. Our plan is to take the same flight, or similar flights, arriving at about the same time Saturday morning, September 29th in Las Vegas (McCarran International Airport). The backpackers will have arranged their own ground transportation to the south rim. Day hikers will need to arrange separate ground transportation, and can fly in after, and leave before, if they choose.

The backpackers will car-camp on Saturday at Mather campground. On Sunday they begin the Rim-to-Rim canyon backpacking adventure on the Bright Angel Trail. After hiking out on the north rim Wednesday morning, they will catch the canyon shuttle back to our campsites at the south rim, explore Grand Canyon Village if there is time, and set up camp again at Mather campground. That evening, a celebratory dinner will be enjoyed by all backpackers at the historic and elegant El Tovar Lodge Dining Room!

For the backpackers, the rest of the week will consist of day hikes (no permits needed). The day hikers can wait to hike when the backpackers get back, or start earlier in the week when the backpackers are in the canyon. We will be free to choose which hikes interest us most, some right up until the day that we hike them, however, we will research and discuss which and in what order we prefer. Excellent day hikes we can choose to do are: Jackass Canyon, the Rim Trail, Hermit Trail (hiking to Santa Maria spring), Horseshoe Mesa Trail (hiking to the Horseshoe and back), and South Kaibab Trail. Some may want (need) to rest, others may want to continue to hike each day. The schedule at that point may be flexible and somewhat more relaxed. On Sunday morning, October 7th, we will break camp, drive back to Vegas, stay at an inexpensive hotel off the strip, have a nice dinner in town, and catch our flight(s) Monday morning.

To reserve a spot, send a check for $100 made out to Campers' Group, to: Campers' Group, 48 S. High Street Mt. Vernon, NY 10550. Once the organizer or a trip leader is notified of receipt of your check, you will be added to the RSVP list. For immediate inclusion, pay $100 via PayPal on the meetup.com page for this trip.

Ken 201-388-3685

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Trudy 845-544-0446

October 5-8, Camping Trip, Voorhees State Park/Spruce Run Reservoir, Glen Gardner/Clinton NJWe'll have the choice of hiking on several great trails in and around this secluded park (see #7, #8 in trails link), bicycling on the Columbia Trail, or boating and hiking in nearby Spruce Run and Round Valley Recreation Areas. (Boat rentals available). In the evening, if Voorhees State Park's observatory is open, we will be able to view planets and constellations through the park's high power telescope. At night, as always, we'll pitch our tents and share stories by the campfire. For those without a car who would like to travel from the city on Friday afternoon or evening, trains on the Raritan Valley Line depart from NY Penn Station, and arrive in the nearby town of High Bridge. To reserve a spot, you can send a check for $37.70.00 made out to Campers' Group, to: Campers' Group, 48 S. High Street Mt. Vernon, NY 10550. Once the organizer or a trip leader is notified of receipt of your check, you will be added to the RSVP list. For immediate inclusion, we prefer that you pay $39.09 via PayPal on the meetup.com page for this trip.

Deb 203-246-4350

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Michael 908-872-6335

Sunday, November 18, Day Trip, Torne Mountain/Osio Rock Hike, Bloomingdale NJClimb Torne Mountain with us and enjoy view after view before heading up Osio Rock for a 360 degree panorama of the Wanaque Reservoir, the Ramapos, and the NYC skyline. Meet us at 10:00 am, at the Otter Hole parking lot, by the Torne Mountain/Osio Rock trailhead. This is a moderate 6+ mile hike, but it's typical hilly, rugged and rocky Jersey Highlands, so not easy, but with multiple viewpoints, and a funky stone living room in under 3 miles. The reward-to-effort ratio on this route will really be in our favor. We will keep a moderate pace, with planned breaks along the way. The trail is a bit steep right from the start, and rugged with larger rocks to walk over. There is an easier bypass for the bit of a rock scramble-down before approaching Osio Rock. Then a minor scramble through large boulders getting onto the Torne trail on the way back. PLEASE wear hiking boots or a hiking shoe. Absolutely NO sneakers allowed; we will not let you hike with us if you do not have appropriate hiking footwear for rock scrambling. Bring lunch or energy snacks with at least 2 liters of water. Please be on time; we will not wait long for late arrivals. Heavy rain cancels or postpones the hike.

Ken 201-388-3685

Sunday, November 25, Day Hike, Camp Glen Gray, Mahwah NJOriginally developed as a Boy Scout camp in 1917, Camp Glen Gray (http://www.glengray.org) is nestled in the hills among thousands of acres of Bergen County and New Jersey State park land. Meet us at 10:00 am at Sklyine Drive's upper parking lot. We'll tour some of the historic grounds that include the Old Guard Cabin (pictured above), Mothercroft shelter, Whitehead Library, Memorial Pavilion, Mary Post Field (and discuss her legend), and many other cabins and points of interest near and afar from the camp's Lake Vreeland. We can also discuss the possibility of using one of their cabins or campsites for a future trip. We will then leave the camp to hike on the historic Revolutionary War era Cannonball Trail, and other nearby trails in the Ramapo Mountains. The hike will be approximately 4 to 5 hours, and 6 to 8 miles with moderate elevation. Some trails will be very rocky; please wear hiking boots or shoes, dress in layers, pack a lunch, and/or energy snacks, and carry about 2 liters of water.

Ken 201-388-3685

Saturday, December 1, Holiday Party!, Washington Irving Boat Club, Tarrytown NYLet's celebrate the holidays with food, drinks, stories of camping from the past and skiing/snowshoeing trips to come... Join us for a catered party overlooking the Hudson River at the Washington Irving Boat Club at 7:00pm. We'll be in the Riverfront Bar at the Boat Club. Neighboring restaurant Sunset Cove is providing Italian food. It will be buffet style, and most likely chicken, shrimp, pasta, a vegetarian dish, salad and something non-gluten. Bar is cash only. Bring a grab bag gift of about $10-$15, either something festive, camping-related, or a gag, your choice! Your RSVP pays for the dinner. There is frequent train service between NYC and Tarrytown. A 6:14pm train from Grand Central will get you to the party on time. View the schedule here. It's only a 10 minute walk from the train station to the Boat Club. To RSVP, send a check for $21 made out to Campers' Group, to: Campers' Group, 48 S. High Street Mt. Vernon, NY 10550. Once the organizer or a trip leader is notified of receipt of your check, you will be added to the RSVP list. For immediate inclusion, pay $21.95 via PayPal on the meetup.com page for this trip.

Bernadette 239-289-3744

December 7-9, Cabin Trip, Stokes St Forest - Cabin Area, Sandyston NJThis trip is currently full, but you can ask to be added to the waitlist on meetup.com. We have reserved a modern, furnished cabin that sleeps up to 12 people. The cabin has two sleeping areas with bunks, a kitchen with refrigerator and two full bathrooms, plus a fireplace and electricity. You must bring a sleeping bag or bed linens, pillow, towel and cooking utensils. There are no small appliances such as a coffee maker, toaster or microwave. Outside the cabin there is a picnic table, fire ring and charcoal grill. Hiking will be our main activity in this popular park, but we may also play board games and have other fun inside the cabin, including a pot luck dinner Saturday night. This is a RAIN OR SHINE event. The cabin is a non-smoking environment. It is located one mile from Lake Ocquittunk in Stokes State Forest. To reserve a spot, send a check for $30.50 made out to Campers' Group, to: Campers' Group, 48 S. High Street Mt. Vernon, NY 10550. Once the organizer or a trip leader is notified of receipt of your check, you will be added to the RSVP list. For immediate inclusion, pay $31.69 via PayPal on the meetup.com page for this trip.